Celebrity Charlatan Dr. Oz Loses Only Support for His Magic Bean

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(Newser) In 2012, celebrity TV doctor Mehmet Oz endorsed green coffee bean extract as a “magic weight-loss cure” even though only one scientific study backed these claims—and it was funded by the extract manufacturer. This week Oz is backed further into a corner as the study’s two writers retracted their work, reports LiveScience, saying that “the sponsors of the study cannot assure the validity of the data.” Among other things, the Federal Trade Commission had earlier charged that the study’s researchers altered crucial data, including the weight of participants.

Dr. Mehmet Oz testifies on Capitol Hill, June 17, 2014, before the Senate subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance on false and deceptive advertising of weight-loss products.   (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke)
Dr. Mehmet Oz testifies on Capitol Hill, June 17, 2014, before the Senate subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance on false and deceptive advertising of weight-loss products. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke)

In June Oz was sent to Capitol Hill to explain how a well-known doctor could promote products without scientific backing. Oz replied that he is in the business of hope “to get folks to … rethink their future,” reports CBS News. Then in September the FTC alleged that the study, funded by Applied Food Sciences Inc., was “so hopelessly flawed that no reliable conclusions could be drawn from it.”

The extract manufacturer settled for $3.5 million. Still, Oz is unlikely to face any legal actions unless there is proof that he was aware of fraudulence, which is a far higher standard than being guilty of talking up a product he didn’t know enough about, reports CBS News. (At the June Senate hearing Oz said he feels “disenfranchised” when he can’t use language that is “flowery.”)

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Caroline Taylor

Ms. Taylor has an MA in English from a prestigious university. She enjoys writing and has been a long time fan of MMA.
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2dogsonly
9 years ago

He lost his credibility when Oprah went off. Worse than Dr. Phil. Or Dr. Drew.
After the Netii pot results showed that was bogus, even I quit watching. He just got sillier and sillier.
The green tea speeds up your metabolism like caffeine but it’s no panacea for miracle weight loss.

Rachael
9 years ago

The problem is there are a lot of people, millions, who buy into this man’s nonsense and as a result he continues to make lots of money.

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